DNA encoding for a disease resistance gene from common bean and methods of use

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides novel purified and isolated nucleic acid sequences associated with disease resistance and tolerance in plants. Methods of using the nucleic acid sequences to confer disease resistance and tolerance to plants are also provided.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims benefits of Provisional Application 60/199,064, filed Apr. 20, 2000.

SPONSORSHIP

Work on this invention was sponsored in part by United States Agency for International Development Grant DAN 1310-G-SS-6008-00. The Government may have certain rights in the invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to disease resistance genes from plants and more particularly to anthracnose resistance genes from legumes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Plants can be damaged by a wide variety of pathogenic organisms including viruses, bacteria, fungi and nematodes. Annual crop losses due to these pathogens is in the billions of dollars. Synthetic pesticides are one form of defense against pathogens and each year thousands of tons of such chemicals are applied to crops. However, there are concerns regarding the short term and long term environmental damage due to chemical pesticides use, as well as inherent risks to human health.

Plants also contain their own innate mechanisms of defense against pathogenic organisms. Natural variation for resistance to plant pathogens has been identified by plant breeders and pathologists and bred into many crop plants. These natural disease resistance genes often provide high levels of resistance to pathogens and represent the most economical and environmentally friendly form of crop protection.

Genetic resistance is the most efficient way to control anthracnose, the disease caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The high genetic variability observed in the pathogen population (Balardin, R. S. et al., Phytopathology 87:1184-1191 (1997)) is associated with different resistance genes present in the host (Balardin, R. S. et al., J. Amer. Sco. Hort. Sci. 123(6):1038-1047 (1998)). Seven independent dominant disease resistance genes (Co-1 to Co-7) controlling anthracnose in bean have been described (Balardin, R. S. et al., Phytopathology 87:1184-1191 (1997)). Each of these genes confers resistance to certain races of the pathogen strongly suggesting that resistance to anthracnose in common bean follows the gene-for-gene theory (Flor, H. H., Phytopathology 45:680-685 (1947)). Certain resistance genes are more effective than others in controlling multiple races of the pathogen (Balardin, R. S. et al., J. Amer. Sco. Hort. Sci. 123(6):1038-1047 (1998)).

The bean breeding line SEL 1308 derived from the highly resistant differential cultivar G2333, is known to possess the single dominant Co-42 gene for anthracnose resistance (Young, R. A. et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 96:87-94 (1998)). When inoculated with 34 selected races of C. lindemuthianum chosen to represent a diverse sample of the pathogen population, SEL 1308 demonstrated a resistance index (RI) of 97% (Balardin, R. S. et al., J. Amer. Sco. Hort. Sci. 123(6):1038-1047 (1998)). The only cultivar with a higher RI (100%) was G2333 known to possess the combination of three independent resistance genes, Co-42, Co-5, and Co-7 (Young, R. A. et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 96:87-94 (1998)). This three-gene combination confers resistance to all described races of the pathogen (Pastor-Corrales, M. A. et al., Plant Dis. 78:959-962 (1994)). Among the reported resistance genes, the Co-42 gene in SEL 1308 exhibits the broadest-based resistance in common bean (Balardin, R. S. et al., J. Amer. Sco. Hort. Sci. 123(6):1038-1047 (1998)).

Although plants can be bred for disease resistance traits, this can be a long and tedious process. A conventional plant breeding program requires as much as ten years to develop a new variety. Furthermore, once a new variety is introduced, it may not prove resistant to new forms of the pathogen it was selected to be resistant to. For example, new races of C. lindemuthianum pathogenic to current commercial varieties of dry bean have been identified (Balardin, R. S. et al., Plant Dis. 80:712 (1996); Kelly, J. D. et al., Plant Disease 78:892-894 (1994)). Sources of resistance to anthracnose in adapted commercial bean varieties grown in the U.S. are ineffective against these races (Kelly, J. D. et al., Plant Disease 78:892-894 (1994)), whereas new resistance sources in Mexican germplasm offers an effective solution for the control of anthracnose (Pastor-Corrales, M. A. et al., Plant Dis. 78:959-962 (1994)). For instance, resistance in the Mexican landrace variety G 2333 to 450 races of anthracnose is conditioned by a combination of three independent resistance genes (Co-42, Co-5, Co-7; Pastor-Corrales, M. A. et al., Plant Dis. 78:959-962 (1994); Young, R. A. et al., Crop Sci. 37:940-946 (1997)).

It would thus be desirable to provide disease resistant genes from legumes. No disease resistance gene has been cloned from the bean species P. vulgaris or any related legume species. It would further be desirable to provide genes associated with resistance to anthracnose. The Co-42 gene is a valuable candidate gene for molecular cloning due to its broad resistance and availability of a tightly linked marker (Young, R. A. et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 96:87-94 (1998)). In common bean and soybean, resistance genes analogs (RGAs) have been identified using primers specific to conserved regions of known resistance genes and mapped close to known disease resistance locus (Kanazin, V. et al., PNAS (USA) 93:11746-11750 (1996); Yu, Y. G. et al., PNAS (USA) 93:11751-17756 (1996); Geffroy, V. et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 96:494-502 (1998); Rivkin, M. I. et al., Genome 42:41-47 (1999)). Mapping of RGAs has been the only approach used to isolate known resistance gene sequences from common bean. RGAs, however, are not always closely associated with a resistance phenotype and may be loosely linked to known resistance locus limiting their value in chromosome walking to the gene. Additional approaches, such as map-based cloning are still needed to isolate resistance gene candidates in crop species. It would also be desirable to provide legume plants with disease resistance, preferably to anthracnose. It would be further desirable to transform plants using anthracnose resistant genes to produce disease resistant plants.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides novel purified and isolated nucleic acid sequences associated with disease resistance in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The DNA for COK-4 isolated from strain SEL 1308 is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 while the DNA for COK-4 isolated from P. vulgaris Black Magic is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2. The deduced amino acid sequence of COK-4 is also provided and set forth in SEQ ID NO: 3. The predicted COK-4 protein contains a serine-threonine kinase domain with a highly hydrophobic membrane-spanning region.

Methods for making and using the DNA's encoding for COK-4 are also provided. For example, COK-4 may be used to provide plants with disease resistance, preferably to anthracnose. Vectors containing the DNA, transgenic plants and other organisms, e.g., E. coli, transfected with said vectors, as well as seeds from said plants, are also provided by the present invention. Additional objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art by reading the following specification and subjoined claims and by referencing the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1A is a schematic of the linkage map of the Co-42 locus showing the position of the molecular markers;

FIG. 1B is a schematic of the genomic region containing the Co-42 locus showing the contig developed from overlapping genomic clones;

FIG. 1C is the amino acid sequence for COK-4 (SEQ ID NO: 3);

FIG. 2 is a comparison of the COK-4 and other reported plant serine-threonine kinases amino acid sequences (SEQ ID NO: 3, 5-9);

FIGS. 3A-3D are photographs of agarose gels showing restriction analysis of COK-4 amplified in several genotypes;

FIGS. 4A-4B show a comparison of the DNAs of COK-4 homologues (SEQ ID NOS: 1, 2 and 4).

FIG. 5 is an autoradiograph of a Southern blot of Eco RI digested genomic DNA from bean cultivar and a BAC clone hybridized with the COK-4 gene; and

FIG. 6 is a photograph of an agarose gel showing the DNA amplification of six bean cultivars with OBB14 and OH181150 RAPD markers;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides novel isolated nucleic acid sequences conferring disease resistance to plants. The DNA sequences encoding for COK-4 and conferring disease resistance isolated from Phaseolus vulgaris L. are set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 (strain SEL 1308) and SEQ ID NO: 2 (strain TO). The deduced amino acid sequence is provided in SEQ ID NO: 3. The COK-4 protein has a serine-threonine kinase domain, which includes a protein kinase ATP-binding region signature (amino acids 53 to 79 of SEQ ID NO: 3), a primary transmembrane domain (amino acids 202 to 224 of SEQ ID NO: 3; FIG. 1C), putative sites for N-myristoylation and N-glycosylation, and a cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinase site (amino acids 41 to 44 of SEQ ID NO: 3; FIG. 1C).

In one embodiment, the COK-4 nucleic acid sequences capable of conferring disease resistance or tolerance to plants can be distinguished from non-resistance conferring sequences by restriction mapping. For example, restriction patterns were polymorphic among three bean cultivars known to possess different alleles at the CO-4 locus. Perfect co-segregation between restriction patterns and disease resistance phenotype was observed in 1350 F3 individuals. Preferably, a COK-4 nucleotide sequence capable of conferring disease resistance to plant will have no more than two restriction sites for restriction enzymes Kpn I, Mse I or Msp I, whereas sequences associated with non-resistance to disease will have at least two restriction sites. For example, the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 has one restriction site for Kpn I, Mse I or Msp I (Lane 2, FIGS. 3B-3D). Likewise, the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 has one restriction site for Kpn I, Mse I, and Msp I (Lane 6, FIGS. 3B-3D). In contrast, the COK-4 nucleotide sequence associated with non-resistance to plant diseases (SEQ ID NO: 4) has at least two restriction sites for Kpn I and three sites for Mse I and Msp I (Lane 7, FIGS. 3B-3D).

In another embodiment the sequences of the present invention conferring disease resistance or tolerance to a plant can be incorporated in plant or bacteria cells using conventional recombinant DNA technology. Generally this involves inserting the DNA molecule into an expression system, wherein the DNA molecule is inserted into the expression system or vector in proper orientation and correct reading frame. The vector contains the necessary elements for the transcription and translation of the inserted protein-coding sequences. A large number of vector systems known in the art can be used, such as, but not limited to, plasmids, bacteriophage virus or other modified viruses. The DNA sequences are clones into the vector using standard cloning procedures in the art.

The method of conferring disease resistance or tolerance to a plant includes the steps of introducing an expression vector comprising cDNA encoding a COK-4 protein associated with disease resistance or a functional mutant thereof, operably linked to a promoter functional in a plant cell into the cells of plant tissue and expressing the encoding protein in an amount effective to render the plant tissue resistant or tolerant to disease. The choice of promoter will depend on the host cell system into which the gene is to be incorporated and the amount of protein expression desired. The level of expression can be increased by either combining the cDNA with a promoter that provides for a high level of expression, or by introducing multiple copies into the cell so that multiple copies are integrated into the genome of transformed plant cells. Once transferred cells exhibiting disease resistance or tolerance are obtained, transgenic plants and seeds can then be regenerated therefrom, and evaluated for stability of the inheritance of the disease resistance or tolerance trait.

Alternatively, seeds, seedlings or plants can be transformed directly with the nucleic acid sequences and expression vectors of the present invention. The most common methods for transforming plants are, by way of non-limiting example, Agrobacterium-mediated gene delivery, microprojectile bombardment, free DNA delivery to protoplasts and electrophoretic transformation. Preferably, the low-voltage transformation method described in U.S. Ser. No. 09/206,852 (incorporated by reference) is used to transform plants using the nucleic acid sequences of the present invention. This method utilizes low amperage current to deliver DNA into the meristematic cells and tissue of plants and plant seedlings.

A COK-4 nucleotide sequence associated with disease resistance may thus be fused to a gene or fragment thereof, which allows it to be expressed in a plant cell. The COK-4 nucleotide sequence in combination with the gene or gene fragment, is referred to as an “expression vector” herein. It will be appreciated that the expression vectors of the present invention may contain any regulatory elements necessary and known to those skilled in the art for expression of COK-4. For example, such vectors may contain, but are not limited to, sequences such as promoters, operators and regulators, which are necessary for and/or may enhance the expression of COK-4.

In another embodiment, the nucleic acid sequences of the present invention are used to genetically engineer plants to confer disease resistance or tolerance. Preferably, the plants genetically altered with the nucleic acid sequences of the present invention are of the Leguminosae family. This family includes, but is not limited to, peas, beans, chickpeas and peanuts. More preferably, the plants are of the genus Phaseolus and most preferably are from the common bean group, Phaseolus vulgaris. Non-limiting examples of common bean are green bean, kidney bean, snap bean, haricot, runner bean, wax bean, black bean and pinto bean.

In a further embodiment, the nucleic acid sequences of the present invention are used to genetically engineer plants which are resistant or tolerant to fungal diseases. Non-limiting examples of plant fungal diseases are rust and root rot. Preferably, the genetically engineered plants of the present invention will be resistant or tolerant to the fungal disease Collectotrichum lindemuthianum, commonly known as anthracnose.

As referred to herein, the term “cDNA” is meant a nucleic acid, either naturally occurring or synthetic, which encodes a protein product. The term “nucleic acid” is intended to mean natural and/or synthetic linear, circular and sequential arrays of nucleotides and nucleosides, e.g., cDNA, genomic DNA (gDNA), mRNA, and RNA, oligonucleotides, oligonucleosides, and derivatives thereof. The term “encoding” is intended to mean that the subject nucleic acid may be transcribed and translated into either the desired polypeptide or the subject protein in an appropriate expression system, e.g., when the subject nucleic acid is linked to appropriate control sequences such as promoter and enhancer elements in a suitable vector (e.g., an expression vector) and when the vector is introduced into an appropriate system or cell. As used herein, “polypeptide” refers to an amino acid sequence which comprises both full-length protein and fragments thereof.

As referred to herein, the term “capable of hybridizing under high stringency conditions” means annealing a strand of DNA complementary to the DNA of interest under highly stringent conditions. Likewise, “capable of hybridizing under low stringency conditions” refers to annealing a strand of DNA complementary to the DNA of interest under low stringency conditions. In the present invention, hybridizing under either high or low stringency conditions would involve hybridizing a nucleic acid sequence (e.g., the complementary sequence to SEQ ID No. 1 or portion thereof, with a second target nucleic acid sequence. “High stringency conditions” for the annealing process may involve, for example, high temperature and/or lower salt content, which disfavor hydrogen bonding contacts among mismatched base pairs. “Low stringency conditions” would involve lower temperature, and/or higher salt concentration than that of high stringency conditions. Such conditions allow for two DNA strands to anneal if substantial, as is the case among DNA strands that code for the same protein but differ in sequence due to the degeneracy of the genetic code. Appropriate stringency conditions which promote DNA hybridization, for example, 6× SSC at about 45° C., followed by a wash of 2× SSC at 50° C., are known to those skilled in the art or can be found in Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, John Wiley & Sons, NY (1989), 6.31-6.3.6. For example, the salt concentration in the wash step can be selected from a low stringency of about 2× SSC at 50° C., to a high stringency of about 0.2× SSC at 50° C. In addition, the temperature in the wash step can be increased from low stringency at room temperature, about 22° C., to high stringency conditions, at about 65° C. Other stringency parameters are described in Maniatis, T., et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring N.Y., (1982), at pp. 387-389; see also Sambrook J. et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Second Edition, Volume 2, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring, N.Y. at pp. 8.46-8.47 (1989).

The foregoing and other aspects of the invention may be better understood in connection with the following examples, which are presented for purposes of illustration and not by way of limitation.

SPECIFIC EXAMPLE 1

Isolation and Characterization of the COK-4 Gene

Materials and Methods

Genetic analysis of the segregating population. The bean breeding line SEL 1308 obtained from CIAT was used as the source of the Co-42 gene. This line was derived from a backcross between the anthracnose susceptible cultivar Talamanca and the recurrent parent Colorado de Teopisca (accession number G2333). SEL 1308 was crossed to Black Magic, a susceptible black bean cultivar. Hybrid seeds were advanced to the F2 generation and a population of 1018 F2 individuals was developed. Progeny tests were performed in 96 F2 derived F3 families to discriminate homozygous from heterozygous resistant genotypes. Race 73 (ATCC 96512) of C. lindemuthianum was chosen to confirm the dominant inheritance of the Co-42 gene in SEL 1308. Black Magic, the susceptible parent of the mapping population, dies in five days after inoculation. Inoculum preparation, inoculation methods, and disease characterization of the segregating population were conducted as described by Young and Kelly (Plant Dis. 80:650-654 (1996)). Individual F2 plants from Black Magic/SEL 1308 population were screened with the SCAR marker SAS13 previously found to be linked to the Co-42 gene. Procedures for SCAR analysis are described by Melotto, M. et al. (Genome 39:1216-1219 (1996)). Additional RAPD markers flanking the Co-42 gene were sought by using bulked segregant analysis (Michelmore, R. W. et al., PNAS (USA) 88:9828-9832 (1991)). Inheritance of the disease phenotype and molecular markers was confirmed in 1018 F2 plants using the Chi-square test. Linkage analysis was performed using the Linkage-1 software (Suiter, K. A. et al., J. Hered. 74:203-204 (1983)) and distance between marker and resistance gene expressed in centiMorgan (cM) was calculated using Kosambi's function in the Linkage-1 program.

Southern analysis. Genomic DNA from bean cultivars and a BAC clone was digested with EcoR I according to the manufacturer (Boehringer Mannheim, Indianapolis, Ind.). Electrophoresis and blotting were conducted using standard techniques (Sambrook, J. et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual. 2nd Ed. Cold Spring Harbor Lab. Press, Plainview, N.Y. (1989)). The COK-4 gene was labeled using the DIG High Prime Starter kit I (Boehringer Mannheim) and used as a probe for hybridization. Stringency washes were performed in 2× SSC, 0.2% SDS and 0.2× SSC, 0.1% SDS solutions. Both washes were conducted twice for 30 minutes at 62° C.

Long distance PCR and primer walking. DNA clones flanking the SAS13 marker were generated using the Universal GenomeWalkerTM kit (Clontech Laboratories, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif.). DNA from SEL 1308 was purified using phenol and chloroform, and digested with five restriction enzyme, Dra I, EcoR V, Pvu II, Sca I, and Stu I. Adaptors were ligated to restricted DNA samples for PCR amplification with adaptor-specific primers. PCR reactions were carried out in 50 ul solution containing 1× Advantage Genomic Polymerase Mix (Clontech Laboratories, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif.), 1.1 mM Mg(OAc)2, 10 mM of each dNTP, 10 pM of each adaptor-specific and SAS13 primers, and 50 ng of DNA template. PCR reactions were placed in a 9600 Thermocycler (Perkin Elmer Applied Biosystems) and the PCR file consisted of 7 cycles of 2 seconds at 94° C., 4 minutes at 70° C., followed by 32 cycles of 2 seconds at 94° C., 4 minutes at 65° C. and an extension cycle of 7 minutes at 65° C. Long distance PCR (LD-PCR) amplification products were cloned using the TOPOTM TA Cloning kit (Invitrogen Corp., San Diego, Calif.). Both strands of cloned DNA fragments were sequenced using an Applied Biosystems 377 DNA Sequencer (Perkin Elmer Applied Biosystems) as previously described by Melotto et al. (Genome 39:1216-1219 (1996)). New primers were designed based on those sequences to walk in uncloned genomic DNA as proposed by Siebert et al. (Nucleic Acid Res. 23:1087-1089 (1995)).

Results

The SCAR marker SAS13 was previously found to be tightly linked to the Co42 gene, which conditions resistance to anthracnose in common bean (Young, R. A. et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 96:87-94 (1998)). The marker co-segregated with 1014 F2 individuals in a population size of 1018 (FIG. 1A). The 950-bp DNA fragment generated by the SAS13 marker was sequenced and analyzed for similarities to sequences of known disease resistance genes. The alignment obtained by using BLAST search software (Altschul, S. F. et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 25:3389-3402 (1997)) revealed a high similarity to serine-threonine kinase (STK) domains such as the ones encoded by the disease resistance gene Pto (gil430992; gil1809257; Martin, G. B. et al., Science 262:1432-1436 (1993)) and Fen gene (gi|1098334; Martin, G. B. et al., Plant Cell 6:1543-1552 (1994)) in tomato. Other proteins similar to the SAS13 DNA fragment included receptor-like kinases (RLK) from other organisms including Arabidopsis thaliana, Brassica sp, Oryza sativa, and Zea mays. Based on these results, the SAS13 marker was used as a starting point for primer walking in genomic DNA to find complete gene sequences encoding for protein kinase domains. Four overlapping clones extending the original SAS13 950-bp fragment were obtained and the full length of the contig included 3,371 bp. The full length contig is shown in FIG. 1B. The arrows indicate COK-4 specific primers and restriction sites are letter coded, B=Bam H, E=EcoR I, H=Hind II, K=Kpn I, Me=Mse I and Mp=Msp I. Primer pairs were designed to test whether the generated clones were contiguous in the plant genome. All primer sets amplified a single band of the predicted size. Sequence analysis of the contig revealed an open reading frame (ORF) of 1110 bp, which was named COK-4 (SEQ ID NO: 1; FIGS. 1B and 1C). Two essential eukaryote promoter elements, TATA and CAAT boxes, and putative promoter sequences were found upstream of the COK-4 gene. As shown in FIG. 2, the predicted amino acid sequence of COK-4 (SEQ ID NO: 3; a, FIG. 2) has a high degree of similarity with expressed sequences generated by the Pto gene from Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium and L. esculentum (38% identity, 53% similarity and 15% gap; Martin, G. B. et al., Science 262:1432-1436 (1993)), TMK protein from rice (29%, 45%, and 16%; van der Knaap, E. et al., Plant Physiol. 112:1397 (1996)), extracellular S-domain from Brassica oleracea (30%, 45%, 15%; PID:g2598271), S-domain receptor-like protein kinase from Z. mays (33%, 49%, 14%; PID:g3445397), and leucine-rich repeat (LRR) transmembrane protein kinase 2 from Z. mays (28%, 45%, 19%; Li, Z. et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 37:749-761 (1998)). In FIG. 2, amino acid identity is indicated by a double underline and amino acid similarity is indicated by a single underline. Numbers in the sequence indicate the first and last amino acids aligned. The amino acid sequences are: a) COK-4 (SEQ ID NO: 3), b) disease resistance protein kinase Pto (SEQ ID NO: 5), c) serine/threonine protein kinase Pto (Lycopersicon esculentum; SEQ ID NO: 6), d) putative serine/threonine protein kinase, Fen gene (L. esculentum; SEQ ID NO: 7), e) TMK (Oryza sativa; SEQ ID NO: 8), and f) extracellular S domain of Brassica oleracea (SEQ ID NO: 9). The protein encoded by COK-4 was analyzed for possible functional domains. The COK-4 protein has a STK domain, which includes a protein kinase ATP-binding region signature (amino acids 53 to 79), a primary transmembrane domain (amino acids 202 to 224), putative sites for N-myristoylation (amino acids 7 to 12, 149 to 154, 160 to 165, 250 to 255, and 364 to 369) and N-glycosylation (amino acids 16 to 18 and 26 to 28), and a cAMP and cGMP-dependent protein kinase site (amino acids 41 to 44) (SEQ ID NO: 3; FIG. 1C). The primary transmembrane region is indicated by the underlined amino acids (202 to 224) and the secondary transmembrane region by the wavy underlined amino acids (226 to 248 and 256 to 278) in FIG. 1C.

Discussion

Two lines of evidence strongly suggest that the COK-4 gene, herein described, is a member of the complex Co-42 locus conditioning resistance to anthracnose in common bean. First, genetic analysis indicated co-segregation of the COK-4 gene with the resistant phenotype in a population of 1350 F3 individuals. Secondly, amino acid sequence analysis of the COK-4 gene, which is located 462 bp downstream of the SAS13 marker (FIG. 1B), revealed high similarity with previously cloned resistance genes and protein domains known to play an important role in disease resistance. The putative protein encoded by the COK-4 gene has the structure of STKs and RLKs. Receptor-like kinases contain an extracellular domain possibly functioning in ligand binding and a cytoplasmic domain responsible for signal transduction (Walker, J. C., PI. Mol. Biol. 26:1599-1609 (1994)). The COK-4 protein most likely is localized at the membrane because it contains three highly hydrophobic regions characteristic of a transmembrane domain and has an average hydrophobicity of −0.036 (calculated by the SOSUI software; Hirokawa, T. et al., Bioinformatics 14:378-379 (1998)). Alignment of the COK-4 amino acid sequence with the extracellular S-domain of Brassica oleracea and LRR transmembrane and RLK domain of Z. mays also supports localization of the COK-4 protein in the cellular membrane. If the resistance gene product is the receptor for the pathogen Avr gene product, it is expected that recognition occurs at the membrane level. Colletotrichum lindemuthianum is a hemibiotrophic fungus that penetrates the bean cell wall (Bailey, J. A. et al., Infection Strategies of Colletotrichum species. In: Bailey, J. A., Jeger. M. J. eds. Colletotrichum—Biology, Pathology and Control. Wallington, Oxon (U.K.), CAB International 88-120 (1992)). In addition, race specificity in C. lindemuthianum is expressed after fungal penetration through the epidermal cell wall and the primary hyphae of C. lindemuthianum remain external to the host plasma membrane, which becomes invaginated around the fungus (Bailey J. A. et al., Infection Strategies of Colletotrichum species. In: Bailey, J. A., Jeger. M. J. eds. Colletotrichum—Biology, Pathology and Control. Wallington, Oxon (U.K.), CAB International 88-120 (1992)). These observations suggest that the avirulence gene product maybe a host-specific elicitor located in the membrane and pathogen recognition may occur at the surfaces of the C. lindemuthianum infection hyphae and bean cell membrane.

Most of the disease resistance genes previously cloned confer resistance to bacterial diseases and their products are localized in the cytoplasm. For instance, Pto is soluble protein localized in the cytoplasm of tomato cells where it binds to the AvrPto protein of the bacterial pathogen (Scofield, S. R. et al., Science 2063-2065 (1996); Tang, X. et al., Science 274:2060-2063 (1996)). Bacterial Avr gene products are known to be secreted into the host cytoplasm through the type III secretory system (Bent, A. F., The Plant Cell 8:1757-1771 (1996)). However, little is known about the function of Avr proteins from fungal pathogens and only a few fungal Avr-generated signals have been described. Race-specific elicitors have been partially purified from two hemibiotrophic plant pathogens, Cladosporium fulvum and C. lindemuthianum (Lamb, C. J. et al., Cell 56:215-224 (1989)). One well-studied example of race-cultivar specificity is the C. fulvum/Lycopersicon pathosystem. Cf proteins possess extracellular domains, which supposedly recognize the corresponding Avr proteins (Jones, D. A. et al., Science 266:789-793 (1994); Dixon, M. S. et al., Cell 84:451-459 (1996)). Although Avr proteins of C. lindemuthianum have not been isolated, occurrence of race-cultivar specificity suggests the presence of Avr-generated signal triggering plant defense response. Based on the similarities between the C. fulvum/tomato and C. lindemuthianum/bean pathosystems, one would expect that host-specific elicitors and anthracnose resistance gene products are located at the membrane where the pathogen is recognized.

SPECIFIC EXAMPLE 2 Restriction and Linkage Mapping of the Cok-4 Gene Materials and Methods

Restriction analysis of specific PCR products. PCR primers were designed to amplify specific DNA fragments near the SAS13 marker region. The PCR amplification reaction contained 50 ng of genomic DNA, 10 mM of each dNTP, 10 pmol of each forward and reverse primers, lx enzyme buffer containing MgSO4 and 1U of Pfu DNA polymerase (Promega, Madison, Wis.). PCR reactions were placed in a 9600 Thermocycler (Perkin Elmer Applied Biosystems) and the PCR file consisted of 34 cycles of 20 seconds at 95° C., 30 seconds at 55° C., and 4 minutes at 72° C., followed by an extension cycle of 7 minutes at 72° C. The amplification product was used in a digestion reaction containing 1× enzyme buffer, 10 U of restriction enzyme and 10 μl of PCR reaction. Digestion of DNA fragment was carried out for four hours at 37° C. Restriction patterns were observed on 0.8% ethidium bromide-stained agarose gel.

TABLE 1 Sequence of the specific primer set designed to amplify the COK-4 gene in the vicinity of the Co-4² locus. Nucleotide Primer position Sequence (5′-3′) Forward 405-426 GTA TGG TAA GTG ACA AGT GAG A (SEQ ID NO:10) Reverse 1578-1556 ACC TGG TCA CTT ACA TTT CTT CA (SEQ ID NO:11)

To determine the copy number of the COK-4 gene in different bean cultivars, EcoR I-restricted DNA was probed with the COK-4 gene clone (FIG. 5). The restriction enzyme EcoR I does not cut the COK-4 gene. The resistant cultivars SEL 1308 (Lane 3, FIG. 5), possessed two major homologous DNA sequences of 1.5 and 9 kb in size, whereas the susceptible cultivars SEL 1360 (Lane 6, FIG. 5) and Black Magic (Lane 4, FIG. 5) possessed multiple homologous sequences of various sizes. Again, TO possessed a unique RFLP pattern with only one 9-kb DNA fragment (Lane 5, FIG. 5). The BAC clone 7847 possessed at least four copies of the COK-4 ORF. A linkage map around the COK-4 gene could be predicted using two newly identified RAPD markers, OH181150 and OBB141150/1050. These markers are closely linked to the Co-42 gene and were identified by using bulked segregant analysis (Michelmore, R. W. et al., PNAS (USA) 88:9828-9832 (1991)). OH181150 is a dominant marker linked in coupling with the Co-42 locus at 1.11 cM, whereas OBB141150/1050 is a co-dominant marker, which amplifies a 1150-bp DNA band in the resistant parent SEL 1308 and a 1050-bp DNA band in the susceptible parent Black Magic (FIG. 6). The DNA of six bean cultivars was amplified with RAPD markers OBB141150/1050 (Lanes 2-7, FIG. 6) and OH181150 (Lanes 8-13, FIG. 6). The six bean cultivars were Black Magic (co-42/co-42; Lane 2, FIG. 6), SEL 1308 (Co-42/Co-42; Lane 3, FIG. 6), SEL 1360 (co42/co-42; Lane 4, FIG. 6), G2333 (Co-42/Co-42; Lane 5, FIG. 6), heterozygous resistant F2 individual (Lane 6, FIG. 6), homozygous resistant F2 individual (Lane 7, FIG. 6), Black Magic (Lane 8, FIG. 6), SEL 1308 (Lane 9, FIG. 6), SEL 1360 (Lane 10, FIG. 6), G2333 (Lane 11, FIG. 6), homozygous resistant F2 individual (Lane 12, FIG. 6) and homozygous susceptible F2 individual (co-42/co-42; Lane 13, FIG. 6). The OBB141150/1050 marker co-segregated with the Co-42 gene and is linked at 2.24 cM. Linkage analysis indicated that these markers flank the Co-42 gene and are 4.65 cM apart. A previously identified marker, OAL9780 appears closely associated with OH181150 at 5.8 cM (FIG. 1A).

Discussion

Although the COK-4 region was amplified in both resistant and susceptible parents of the mapping population, internal differences in nucleotide sequences exist as indicated by restriction (FIG. 3) and sequence (FIG. 4) analyses. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in the COK-4 sequences of resistant and susceptible bean lines and co-segregation of restriction patterns with disease phenotype, indicate that the COK-4 gene is involved in anthracnose resistance. Small variation in gene sequences can result in contrasting phenotypes. In tomato, the Pto and Fen genes are present in bacterial speck-susceptible and fenthion-sensitive genotypes and encode a protein kinase 87 and 98% identical to the resistance alleles, respectively (Jia, Y. et al., Plant Cell 9:61-73 (1997)). A SNP found in rice accounted for 80% of the variation in amylose content (Ayres, N. M. et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 94:773-781 (1997)). The original SAS13 SCAR marker, which amplified a single 950-bp fragment in the resistant parent, co-segregated with the Co-42 resistance gene in the segregating population of 1018 F2 individuals. Four recombinant individuals were detected and the distance between the marker and the Co-42 locus was estimated at 0.39 cM. Three susceptible individuals possessing the SAS13 fragment and one resistant line lacking the fragment were observed. These four F2 individuals however, possessed the COK-4 allele corresponding to the phenotype of the plant confirmed by restriction analysis.

Previous genetic studies indicated that the Co-4 locus is a complex gene family (Young, R. A. et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 96:87-94 (1998)). Two resistance alleles have been described which mapped at the Co-4 locus, one present in the bean cultivar TO and the other present in SEL 1308 as supported by allelism test and DNA sequence analysis. TO showed a unique restriction pattern and 44 SNPs at the COK-4 region compared to SEL 1308. Genetic analysis indicates a single gene segregating in the Black Magic/SEL 1308 F2 mapping population, however other genes may be tightly clustered at the Co-42 locus. Bean cultivars appear to possess multiple copies of the COK-4 gene based on Southern analysis. If the COK-4 homolog in TO is non-functional and different from that in SEL 1308, clearly the functional Co-4 gene in TO must be linked to COK-4 and may be a gene duplication based on the RFLP patterns. Another anthracnose resistance gene, Co-2 has also been shown to be a complex multigene family (Geffroy, V. et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 96:494-502 (1998)). Sequence analysis of a linked marker revealed multiple copies of LRR sequences clustered near the Co-2 gene. Resistance genes appear to be clustered in the plant genome and may occur in multiple copies spanning large regions of the plant genome (Kesseli, R. V. et al., Mol. Pl. Microbe Interact. 6:722-728 (1993); Maisonneuve, B. et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 89:96-104 (1994); Meyers, B. C. et al., The Plant Cell 10:1817-1832 (1998)). The RAPD markers OH181150 and OBB141150/1050 are being used to further investigate the presence of the gene cluster and to locate the Co-4 gene in the integrated bean map (Freyre, R. et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 97:847-856 (1998)) as they flank the entire locus.

These findings indicate that tightly linked molecular markers may be used to identify disease resistance gene candidates. The SAS13 marker tagged the Co-4 locus as it allowed the identification of different resistance alleles present in diverse bean cultivars. The marker was used to clone the COK-4 gene from resistant cultivars as well as homologs present in the susceptible cultivars. The COK-4 gene that conditions resistance to a fungal pathogen of common bean is a gene highly similar to the Pto resistance gene present in tomato. By comparing the COK-4 homologs, SNPs were identified and were more accurate than the SCAR marker in discriminating the plant genotype at the Co-4 locus. Most important, SNPs co-segregated with the disease phenotype in a large segregating population and could be used to identify three different alleles at the Co-4 locus. This work represents the first report of the successful cloning and molecular characterization of a disease resistance gene in grain legumes. Molecular cloning of resistance genes should facilitate studies on plant-pathogen interaction and ultimately facilitate genetic improvement of crop species.

The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims, that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

All patents and other publications cited herein are expressly incorporated by reference.

                   #             SEQUENCE LISTING <160> NUMBER OF SEQ ID NOS: 11 <210> SEQ ID NO 1 <211> LENGTH: 1110 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Phaseolus vulgaris <400> SEQUENCE: 1 atgtttctga attgtgtggg catgtgttgt tcgaagccca caacaaatac aa #cttcatct     60 cagagacagt ttccaacgtt gatagaagag ctgtgccatc aattttctct ca #ccgatctt    120 aggaaagcca ccaataactt tgatcagaag agagtaatag gaagtggatt at #ttagtgaa    180 gtatacaaag ggtgtctgca gcacgatggt gcttctgatt acacggtcgc aa #taaagcga    240 tttgattatc aaggatgggc agcgttcaac aaggaaatcg aattgctatg cc #agcttcgt    300 caccctagat gtgtttctct tataggattc tgcaaccacg aaaatgagaa ga #ttcttgta    360 tacgagtaca tgtccaatgg atctctagat aaacacctac aagaaggtca ac #tatcatgg    420 aagaagaggc tggagatatg cataggagta gcacgtggac tacacttcct tc #acaccgga    480 gccaagcgtt ccatctttca ctgtatcctc ggtcctggta ccgtcctttt gg #atgaccag    540 atggagccaa aactcgctgg tttcgatgct agcgagcagg gatcacgttt ta #tgtcaaag    600 cagaagcaaa tcaatgtgat cgtgttttgg gtaatttttg ttttgttgta tg #agctcact    660 cactgccatg attttttgtg gatcaaacta agcttactct ttgttatagg tt #gtaggggc    720 tacacggcta cggactatct catggatggt atcatcacag ctaaatggga tg #ttttctca    780 tttggtttcc ttctactaga agttgtgtgc aggaggatgt tttatttaat aa #ctctgact    840 aaaaaagaat gtctggagaa tcctgttgag gagagaattg atccgattat ca #aaggaaag    900 attgcaccag attgttggca agtgtttgta gatatgatgg taagttgctt ga #agtatgaa    960 ccagatgaga gaccaacaat tggtgaagtg gaggtgcaac ttgagcatgc tc #tatccatg   1020 caggaacaat ctgatatcac aaactccaac tctgagtata ccttactctc ca #aaaccatt   1080 atttcccttg gagtgaagaa atgtaagtga          #                   #         1110 <210> SEQ ID NO 2 <211> LENGTH: 1090 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Phaseolus vulgaris <400> SEQUENCE: 2 atgtttctga attgtgtggg catgtgttgt acgaagccca caacaaatac aa #cttcatct     60 cagagacagt ttccaacgtt gatagaagag ctgtgccatc aattttctct ct #ccgatctt    120 aggaaagcca tcaataactt tgatcagaag agagtaatag gaagtggatt tt #ttagggaa    180 gtatattaag ggtgtctgca gcatgatggt gcttctgatt acacggtcgc aa #taaagcga    240 tttgattatc aaggatggga agcgttcaac aaggaaatcg aattgctatg cc #agcttcgt    300 caccctagat gtgtttctct tataggattc tgcaaccacc aaaatgagaa ga #ttcttgta    360 tacgagtaca tgtccaatgg atctctagat aaacacctac aagatggtga ac #tatcatgg    420 aagaagaggc tagagatctg cataggagta gcacgtggac tacactacct tc #acactggt    480 gccaagcgtt ccatctttca ctgtatcctc ggtcctagta ccatcctttt gg #atgaccaa    540 atggagccaa aactcgctgg tttcggtgtt agcatgcagg gatcacgttt ta #tgtcaaag    600 cagaagcaaa tcaatgtaga tcgtgttttg ggtaattttt gttttgttgt at #gagctcac    660 tcactgcaat gaatttttgt ggatcaaact aagctaatac tctttgttat ag #gtactttt    720 ggctacccgg ctacggacta tgtcatggat ggtaccatca cagctaaatg gg #atgttttc    780 tcatttggtt tccttctact agaagttgtg tgcaggagga tgttttattt ga #taactctg    840 actaaaaaaa aatgtctgga gaatcctgtt gaggagagaa ttgatccgat ta #tcaaaggg    900 aagattgcac cagattgttg gcaagtgttt gtagatatga tggtaacttg ct #tgaagtat    960 gaaccagatg agcgaccaac aattggtgaa gtggaggtgc aacttgagca tg #ctctatcc   1020 atgcaggaac aagctgatat cacaaactcc aactctgagt ataccttact gt #ccaaaacc   1080 attatttccc                 #                   #                   #      1090 <210> SEQ ID NO 3 <211> LENGTH: 369 <212> TYPE: PRT <213> ORGANISM: Phaseolus vulgaris <400> SEQUENCE: 3 Met Phe Leu Asn Cys Val Gly Met Cys Cys Se #r Lys Pro Thr Thr Asn   1               5  #                 10  #                 15 Thr Thr Ser Ser Gln Arg Gln Phe Pro Thr Le #u Ile Glu Glu Leu Cys              20      #             25      #             30 His Gln Phe Ser Leu Thr Asp Leu Arg Lys Al #a Thr Asn Asn Phe Asp          35          #         40          #         45 Gln Lys Arg Val Ile Gly Ser Gly Leu Phe Se #r Glu Val Tyr Lys Gly      50              #     55              #     60 Cys Leu Gln His Asp Gly Ala Ser Asp Tyr Th #r Val Ala Ile Lys Arg  65                  # 70                  # 75                  # 80 Phe Asp Tyr Gln Gly Trp Ala Ala Phe Asn Ly #s Glu Ile Glu Leu Leu                  85  #                 90  #                 95 Cys Gln Leu Arg His Pro Arg Cys Val Ser Le #u Ile Gly Phe Cys Asn             100       #           105       #           110 His Glu Asn Glu Lys Ile Leu Val Tyr Glu Ty #r Met Ser Asn Gly Ser         115           #       120           #       125 Leu Asp Lys His Leu Gln Glu Gly Gln Leu Se #r Trp Lys Lys Arg Leu     130               #   135               #   140 Glu Ile Cys Ile Gly Val Ala Arg Gly Leu Hi #s Phe Leu His Thr Gly 145                 1 #50                 1 #55                 1 #60 Ala Lys Arg Ser Ile Phe His Cys Ile Leu Gl #y Pro Gly Thr Val Leu                 165   #               170   #               175 Leu Asp Asp Gln Met Glu Pro Lys Leu Ala Gl #y Phe Asp Ala Ser Glu             180       #           185       #           190 Gln Gly Ser Arg Phe Met Ser Lys Gln Lys Gl #n Ile Asn Val Ile Val         195           #       200           #       205 Phe Trp Val Ile Phe Val Leu Leu Tyr Glu Le #u Thr His Cys His Asp     210               #   215               #   220 Phe Leu Trp Ile Lys Leu Ser Leu Leu Phe Va #l Ile Gly Cys Arg Gly 225                 2 #30                 2 #35                 2 #40 Tyr Thr Ala Thr Asp Tyr Leu Met Asp Gly Il #e Ile Thr Ala Lys Trp                 245   #               250   #               255 Asp Val Phe Ser Phe Gly Phe Leu Leu Leu Gl #u Val Val Cys Arg Arg             260       #           265       #           270 Met Phe Tyr Leu Ile Thr Leu Thr Lys Lys Gl #u Cys Leu Glu Asn Pro         275           #       280           #       285 Val Glu Glu Arg Ile Asp Pro Ile Ile Lys Gl #y Lys Ile Ala Pro Asp     290               #   295               #   300 Cys Trp Gln Val Phe Val Asp Met Met Val Se #r Cys Leu Lys Tyr Glu 305                 3 #10                 3 #15                 3 #20 Pro Asp Glu Arg Pro Thr Ile Gly Glu Val Gl #u Val Gln Leu Glu His                 325   #               330   #               335 Ala Leu Ser Met Gln Glu Gln Ser Asp Ile Th #r Asn Ser Asn Ser Glu             340       #           345       #           350 Tyr Thr Leu Leu Ser Lys Thr Ile Ile Ser Le #u Gly Val Lys Lys Cys         355           #       360           #       365 Lys <210> SEQ ID NO 4 <211> LENGTH: 1111 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Phaseolus vulgaris <400> SEQUENCE: 4 atgtttctga attgtgtggg catgtgttgt tcgaagccca caacaaatac aa #cttcatct     60 cagagacagt ttccaacgtt gatagaagag ctgtgccatc aattttctct ca #ccgatctt    120 aggaaagcca ccaataactt tgatcagaag agagtaatag gaagtggatt at #ttagtgaa    180 gtatacaaag ggtgtctgca gcatgatggt gcttctgatt acacggtcgc aa #taaagcga    240 tttgattatc aaggatgggc agcgttcaac aaggaaatcg aattgctatg cc #agcttcgt    300 caccctagat gtgtttctct tataggattc agcaaccacg aaaatgagaa ga #ttcttgta    360 tacgagtaca tgtccaatgg atctctagat aaacacctac aagaaggtca ac #tatcatgg    420 aagaagaggc tagagatatg cataggagta gcacgtggac tacactacct tc #acaccgga    480 gccaagcgtt ccatctttca ctgtatcctc ggtcctggta ccgtcctttt gg #atgaccag    540 atggagccaa aactcgctgg tttcggtgct agcgagcagg gatcacgttt ta #tgtcaaag    600 cagaagcaaa tcaatgtaga tcgtgttttg ggtaattttt gtttttttgt at #gagctcac    660 tcactgccat gattttttgt ggatcaaact aagcttactc tttgttatag gt #tgttgggg    720 ctacacggct acggactatc tcatggatgg tatcatcaca gctaaatggg at #gttttctc    780 atttggtttc cttctactag aagttgtgtg caggaggatg ttttatttga ta #actctgac    840 taaaaaaaaa tgtctggaga atcctgttga gtagagaatt gatccgatta tc #aaagggaa    900 gattgcacca gattgttggc aagtgtttgt agatatgatg gtaacttgct tg #aagtataa    960 accagatgag agaccaacaa ttggtgaagt ggaggtgcaa cttgagcatg ct #ctatccat   1020 gcaggaacaa gctgatatca caaactccaa ctctgagtat actttactgt cc #aaaaccat   1080 tatttccctg ggagtgaaga aatgtaagtg a         #                   #        1111 <210> SEQ ID NO 5 <211> LENGTH: 310 <212> TYPE: PRT <213> ORGANISM: Lycopersicon esculentum <400> SEQUENCE: 5 Thr Asn Ser Ile Asn Asp Ala Leu Ser Ser Se #r Tyr Leu Val Pro Phe   1               5  #                 10  #                 15 Glu Ser Tyr Arg Val Pro Leu Val Asp Leu Gl #u Glu Ala Thr Asn Asn              20      #             25      #             30 Phe Asp His Lys Phe Leu Ile Gly His Gly Va #l Phe Gly Lys Val Tyr          35          #         40          #         45 Lys Gly Val Leu Arg Asp Gly Ala Lys Val Al #a Leu Lys Arg Arg Thr      50              #     55              #     60 Pro Glu Ser Ser Gln Gly Ile Glu Glu Phe Gl #u Thr Glu Ile Glu Thr  65                  # 70                  # 75                  # 80 Leu Ser Phe Cys Arg His Pro His Leu Val Se #r Leu Ile Gly Phe Cys                  85  #                 90  #                 95 Asp Glu Arg Asn Glu Met Ile Leu Ile Tyr Ly #s Tyr Met Glu Asn Gly             100       #           105       #           110 Asn Leu Lys Arg His Leu Tyr Gly Ser Asp Le #u Pro Thr Met Ser Met         115           #       120           #       125 Ser Trp Glu Gln Arg Leu Glu Ile Cys Ile Gl #y Ala Ala Arg Gly Leu     130               #   135               #   140 His Tyr Leu His Thr Arg Ala Ile Ile His Ar #g Asp Val Lys Ser Ile 145                 1 #50                 1 #55                 1 #60 Asn Ile Leu Leu Asp Glu Asn Phe Val Pro Ly #s Ile Thr Asp Phe Gly                 165   #               170   #               175 Ile Ser Lys Lys Gly Thr Glu Leu Asp Gln Th #r His Leu Ser Thr Val             180       #           185       #           190 Val Lys Gly Thr Leu Gly Tyr Ile Asp Pro Gl #u Tyr Phe Ile Lys Gly         195           #       200           #       205 Arg Leu Thr Glu Lys Ser Asp Val Tyr Ser Ph #e Gly Val Val Leu Phe     210               #   215               #   220 Glu Val Leu Cys Ala Arg Ser Ala Ile Val Gl #n Ser Leu Pro Arg Glu 225                 2 #30                 2 #35                 2 #40 Met Val Asn Leu Ala Glu Trp Ala Val Glu Se #r His Asn Asn Gly Gln                 245   #               250   #               255 Leu Glu Gln Ile Val Asp Pro Asn Leu Ala As #p Lys Ile Arg Pro Glu             260       #           265       #           270 Ser Leu Arg Lys Phe Gly Asp Thr Ala Val Ly #s Cys Leu Ala Leu Ser         275           #       280           #       285 Ser Glu Asp Arg Pro Ser Met Gly Asp Val Le #u Trp Lys Leu Glu Tyr     290               #   295               #   300 Ala Leu Arg Leu Gln Glu 305                 3 #10 <210> SEQ ID NO 6 <211> LENGTH: 308 <212> TYPE: PRT <213> ORGANISM: Lycopersicon esculentum <400> SEQUENCE: 6 Met Gly Ser Lys Tyr Ser Lys Ala Thr Asn Se #r Ile Ser Asp Ala Ser   1               5  #                 10  #                 15 Asn Ser Phe Glu Ser Tyr Arg Phe Pro Leu Gl #u Asp Leu Glu Glu Ala              20      #             25      #             30 Thr Asn Asn Phe Asp Asp Lys Phe Phe Ile Gl #y Glu Gly Ala Phe Gly          35          #         40          #         45 Lys Val Tyr Lys Gly Val Leu Arg Asp Gly Th #r Lys Val Ala Leu Lys      50              #     55              #     60 Arg Gln Asn Arg Asp Ser Arg Gln Gly Ile Gl #u Glu Phe Gly Thr Glu  65                  # 70                  # 75                  # 80 Ile Gly Ile Leu Ser Arg Arg Ser His Pro Hi #s Leu Val Ser Leu Ile                  85  #                 90  #                 95 Gly Tyr Cys Asp Glu Arg Asn Glu Met Val Le #u Ile Tyr Asp Tyr Met             100       #           105       #           110 Glu Asn Gly Asn Leu Lys Ser His Leu Thr Gl #y Ser Asp Leu Pro Ser         115           #       120           #       125 Met Ser Trp Glu Gln Arg Leu Glu Ile Cys Il #e Gly Ala Ala Arg Gly     130               #   135               #   140 Leu His Tyr Leu His Thr Asn Gly Val Met Hi #s Arg Asp Val Lys Ser 145                 1 #50                 1 #55                 1 #60 Ser Asn Ile Leu Leu Asp Glu Asn Phe Val Pr #o Lys Ile Thr Asp Phe                 165   #               170   #               175 Gly Leu Ser Lys Thr Arg Pro Gln Leu Tyr Gl #n Thr Thr Asp Val Lys             180       #           185       #           190 Gly Thr Phe Gly Tyr Ile Asp Pro Glu Tyr Ph #e Ile Lys Gly Arg Leu         195           #       200           #       205 Thr Glu Lys Ser Asp Val Tyr Ser Phe Gly Va #l Val Leu Phe Glu Val     210               #   215               #   220 Leu Cys Ala Arg Ser Ala Met Val Gln Ser Le #u Pro Arg Glu Met Val 225                 2 #30                 2 #35                 2 #40 Asn Leu Ala Glu Trp Ala Val Glu Ser His As #n Asn Gly Gln Leu Glu                 245   #               250   #               255 Gln Ile Val Asp Pro Asn Leu Ala Asp Lys Il #e Arg Pro Glu Ser Leu             260       #           265       #           270 Arg Lys Phe Gly Glu Thr Ala Val Lys Cys Le #u Ala Leu Ser Ser Glu         275           #       280           #       285 Asp Arg Pro Ser Met Gly Asp Val Leu Trp Ly #s Leu Glu Tyr Ala Leu     290               #   295               #   300 Arg Leu Gln Glu 305 <210> SEQ ID NO 7 <211> LENGTH: 286 <212> TYPE: PRT <213> ORGANISM: Lycopersicon esculentum <400> SEQUENCE: 7 Tyr Arg Val Pro Phe Val Asp Leu Glu Glu Al #a Thr Asn Asn Phe Asp   1               5  #                 10  #                 15 Asp Lys Phe Phe Ile Gly Glu Gly Gly Phe Gl #y Lys Val Tyr Arg Gly              20      #             25      #             30 Val Leu Arg Asp Gly Thr Lys Val Ala Leu Ly #s Lys His Lys Arg Glu          35          #         40          #         45 Ser Ser Gln Gly Ile Glu Glu Phe Glu Thr Gl #u Ile Glu Ile Leu Ser      50              #     55              #     60 Phe Cys Ser His Pro His Leu Val Ser Leu Il #e Gly Phe Cys Asp Glu  65                  # 70                  # 75                  # 80 Arg Asn Glu Met Ile Leu Ile Tyr Asp Tyr Me #t Glu Asn Gly Asn Leu                  85  #                 90  #                 95 Lys Ser His Leu Tyr Gly Ser Asp Leu Pro Th #r Met Ser Met Ser Trp             100       #           105       #           110 Glu Gln Arg Leu Glu Ile Cys Ile Gly Ala Al #a Arg Gly Leu His Tyr         115           #       120           #       125 Leu His Thr Asn Gly Val Ile His Arg Asp Va #l Lys Cys Thr Asn Ile     130               #   135               #   140 Leu Leu Asp Glu Asn Phe Val Pro Lys Ile Th #r Asp Phe Gly Ile Ser 145                 1 #50                 1 #55                 1 #60 Lys Thr Met Pro Glu Leu Asp Leu Thr His Le #u Ser Thr Val Val Arg                 165   #               170   #               175 Gly Asn Ile Gly Tyr Ile Ala Pro Glu Tyr Al #a Leu Trp Gly Gln Leu             180       #           185       #           190 Thr Glu Lys Ser Asp Val Tyr Ser Phe Gly Va #l Val Leu Phe Glu Val         195           #       200           #       205 Leu Cys Ala Arg Pro Ala Leu Tyr Leu Ser Gl #u Met Met Ser Ser Asp     210               #   215               #   220 Asp Glu Thr Gln Lys Met Gly Gln Leu Glu Gl #n Ile Val Asp Pro Ala 225                 2 #30                 2 #35                 2 #40 Ile Ala Ala Lys Ile Arg Pro Glu Ser Leu Ar #g Met Phe Gly Glu Thr                 245   #               250   #               255 Ala Met Lys Cys Leu Ala Pro Ser Ser Lys As #n Arg Pro Ser Met Gly             260       #           265       #           270 Asp Val Leu Trp Lys Leu Glu Tyr Ala Leu Cy #s Leu Gln Glu         275           #       280           #       285 <210> SEQ ID NO 8 <211> LENGTH: 339 <212> TYPE: PRT <213> ORGANISM: Oryza sativa <400> SEQUENCE: 8 Asn Val Asn Gly Gly Ala Ala Ala Ser Glu Th #r Tyr Ser Gln Ala Ser   1               5  #                 10  #                 15 Ser Gly Pro Arg Asp Ile His Val Val Glu Th #r Gly Asn Met Val Ile              20      #             25      #             30 Ser Ile Gln Val Leu Arg Asn Val Thr Asn As #n Phe Ser Asp Glu Asn          35          #         40          #         45 Val Leu Gly Arg Gly Gly Phe Gly Thr Val Ty #r Lys Gly Glu Leu His      50              #     55              #     60 Asp Gly Thr Lys Ile Ala Val Lys Arg Met Gl #u Ala Gly Val Met Gly  65                  # 70                  # 75                  # 80 Asn Lys Gly Leu Asn Glu Phe Lys Ser Glu Il #e Ala Val Leu Thr Lys                  85  #                 90  #                 95 Val Arg His Arg Asn Leu Val Ser Leu Leu Gl #y Tyr Cys Leu Asp Gly             100       #           105       #           110 Asn Glu Arg Ile Leu Val Tyr Glu Tyr Met Pr #o Gln Gly Thr Leu Ser         115           #       120           #       125 Gln His Leu Phe Glu Trp Lys Glu His Asn Le #u Arg Pro Leu Glu Trp     130               #   135               #   140 Lys Lys Arg Leu Ser Ile Ala Leu Asp Val Al #a Arg Gly Val Glu Tyr 145                 1 #50                 1 #55                 1 #60 Leu His Ser Leu Ala Gln Gln Thr Phe Ile Hi #s Arg Asp Leu Lys Pro                 165   #               170   #               175 Ser Asn Ile Leu Leu Gly Asp Asp Met Lys Al #a Lys Val Ala Asp Phe             180       #           185       #           190 Gly Leu Val Arg Leu Ala Pro Ala Asp Gly Ly #s Cys Val Ser Val Glu         195           #       200           #       205 Thr Arg Leu Ala Gly Thr Phe Gly Tyr Leu Al #a Pro Glu Tyr Ala Val     210               #   215               #   220 Thr Gly Arg Val Thr Thr Lys Ala Asp Val Ph #e Ser Phe Gly Val Ile 225                 2 #30                 2 #35                 2 #40 Leu Met Glu Leu Ile Thr Gly Arg Lys Ala Le #u Asp Glu Thr Gln Pro                 245   #               250   #               255 Glu Asp Ser Met His Leu Val Thr Trp Phe Ar #g Arg Met Gln Leu Ser             260       #           265       #           270 Lys Asp Thr Phe Gln Lys Ala Ile Asp Pro Th #r Ile Asp Leu Thr Glu         275           #       280           #       285 Glu Thr Leu Ala Ser Val Ser Thr Val Ala Gl #u Leu Ala Gly His Cys     290               #   295               #   300 Cys Ala Arg Glu Pro His Gln Arg Pro Asp Me #t Gly His Ala Val Asn 305                 3 #10                 3 #15                 3 #20 Val Leu Ser Thr Leu Ser Asp Val Trp Lys Pr #o Ser Asp Pro Asp Ser                 325   #               330   #               335 Asp Asp Ser <210> SEQ ID NO 9 <211> LENGTH: 280 <212> TYPE: PRT <213> ORGANISM: Brassica oleracea <400> SEQUENCE: 9 Ala Thr Asn Asn Phe Ser Ser Ala Asn Lys Le #u Gly Arg Gly Gly Phe   1               5  #                 10  #                 15 Gly Thr Val Tyr Lys Gly Arg Leu Leu Asp Gl #y Lys Glu Ile Ala Val              20      #             25      #             30 Lys Arg Leu Ser Lys Met Ser Leu Gln Gly Th #r Asp Glu Phe Lys Asn          35          #         40          #         45 Glu Val Lys Leu Ile Ala Arg Leu Gln His Il #e Asn Leu Val Arg Leu      50              #     55              #     60 Ile Gly Cys Cys Ile Asp Lys Gly Glu Lys Me #t Leu Ile Tyr Glu Tyr  65                  # 70                  # 75                  # 80 Leu Glu Asn Leu Ser Leu Asp Ser His Ile Ph #e Asp Ile Thr Arg Arg                  85  #                 90  #                 95 Ser Asn Leu Asn Trp Gln Met Arg Phe Asp Il #e Thr Asn Gly Ile Ala             100       #           105       #           110 Arg Gly Leu Val Tyr Leu His Arg Asp Ser Ar #g Phe Met Ile Ile His         115           #       120           #       125 Arg Asp Leu Lys Ala Ser Asn Val Leu Leu As #p Lys Asn Met Thr Pro     130               #   135               #   140 Lys Ile Ser Asp Phe Gly Met Ala Arg Ile Ph #e Gly Arg Asp Asp Ala 145                 1 #50                 1 #55                 1 #60 Glu Ala Asn Thr Arg Lys Val Val Gly Thr Ty #r Gly Tyr Met Ser Pro                 165   #               170   #               175 Glu Tyr Ala Met Asp Gly Ile Phe Ser Met Ly #s Ser Asp Val Phe Ser             180       #           185       #           190 Phe Gly Val Leu Leu Leu Glu Ile Ile Ser Gl #y Lys Lys Asn Asn Gly         195           #       200           #       205 Phe Tyr Asn Ser Asn Gln Asp Leu Asn Leu Le #u Ala Leu Val Trp Arg     210               #   215               #   220 Lys Trp Lys Glu Gly Lys Trp Leu Glu Ile Le #u Asp Pro Ile Ile Ile 225                 2 #30                 2 #35                 2 #40 Asp Ser Ser Ser Ser Thr Gly Gln Ala His Gl #u Ile Leu Arg Cys Ile                 245   #               250   #               255 Gln Ile Gly Leu Leu Cys Val Gln Glu Arg Al #a Glu Asp Arg Pro Val             260       #           265       #           270 Met Ala Ser Val Met Val Met Ile         275           #       280 <210> SEQ ID NO 10 <211> LENGTH: 22 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Description of Artificial  #Sequence:synthetic       oligonucleotide primer <400> SEQUENCE: 10 gtatggtaag tgacaagtga ga            #                   #                 22 <210> SEQ ID NO 11 <211> LENGTH: 23 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Description of Artificial  #Sequence:synthetic       oligonucleotide primer <400> SEQUENCE: 11 acctggtcac ttacatttct tca            #                   #                23 

We claim:
 1. An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding the polypeptide of SEQ ID NO:
 3. 2. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 1 comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
 1. 3. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 1 comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
 2. 4. A vector comprising the nucleic acid of claim
 2. 5. A host cell comprising the vector of claim
 4. 6. The host cell of claim 5, wherein the host cell is a plant cell.
 7. A vector comprising the nucleic acid of claim
 3. 8. A host cell comprising the vector of claim
 7. 9. The host cell of claim 8, wherein the host cell is a plant cell.
 10. A method for conferring disease resistance to a plant comprising providing a plant into which has been introduced the nucleic acid of claim 1 and growing the plant, wherein the plant expresses the polypeptide encoded by the nucleic acid, thereby conferring disease resistance to the plant.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the disease is a plant fungal disease.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plant fungal disease is anthracnose.
 13. A transgenic plant comprising the nucleic acid of claim
 1. 14. Transgenic seed of the plant of claim
 13. 15. A transgenic plant produced by breeding the plant of claim 13, wherein the plant retains the trait of disease resistance.
 16. Transgenic seed of the plant of claim
 15. 17. A method for conferring disease resistance to a plant comprising introducing into the plant an isolated nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO:3, wherein the nucleic acid comprises at least one restriction site for a restriction enzyme selected from the group consisting of Kpn I, Mse I and Msp I, wherein the plant expresses the polypeptide encoded by the nucleic acid, thereby conferring disease resistance to the plant.
 18. A transgenic plant produced by the method of claim
 17. 19. Transgenic seed of the plant of claim
 18. 20. A transgenic plant produced by breeding the plant of claim 18, wherein the plant retains the trait of disease resistance.
 21. Transgenic seed of the plant of claim
 20. 22. A transgenic host cell comprising the isolated nucleic acid of claim
 1. 23. The transgenic host cell of claim 22, wherein the host cell is a plant cell.
 24. A transgenic plant comprising the plant cell of claim
 23. 